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Cubicles & Modular Furniture Tips
Feng Shui and Office Cubicle Organization
A cubicle is a much trickier Feng Shui situation than an entire office or room. Cubicles are unfortunate paradigms of vulnerability for the individual worker. One of the chief problems is that you don't use a real desk but work from a countertop-type desk that is attached to a cubicle wall. However, you can do plenty to improve your situation:
Make sure you can see the entrance to your cube from your desk. Try to move your sitting position first, but don't cramp your work style. If you can't move — you can't.
If you can't move your sitting position, you can place an 8-x-10-inch mirror in a picture frame or on a small stand to reflect the entrance of the cube to allow you to see if anyone is approaching. Many people subconsciously use the reflections in their computer monitor to see who's approaching them, because seeing the entrance is a basic human need.
Bringing living and flowing energy into your workspace, such as plants and flowers. These features are important ways of compensating for the small size of your space and the constant traffic flows that pass by your cube. A nice fountain near the entrance of your cube can work wonders. If space or social realities preclude a fountain, you can get some of the same benefits from a photo (the larger, the better) of flowing water, such as of a waterfall or river.
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Finding Quality Office Products
Office Depot Tip: Dress up your cubicle with office products that accessorize your walls and are functional. Here are a few office products from lines such as the Fellowes Partition Additions™ Line that you can buy to attach to your cubicle walls to minimize clutter on your desk surface but also create easy to reach accessories that dress up otherwise drab looking partition walls.
A Post it Note dispenser. Post-It notes are indispensable office products in today’s offices. A dispenser on the wall is handy and functional
Clock. Hang a clock inside the cubicle. Digital and regular
Hooks for Your Coats, Sweater and Umbrella to keep them handy
Name plate holders for staff members and titles or department names too.
White Board or Bulletin Boards so people can brainstorm or communicate with one another or make notes for themselves.
Clips that you can hold papers, bulletins or other paperwork with.
Partition wall shelves that attach to hold click-on bins, file pockets and in-trays to hold papers or office products and maximize organization while keeping an open work surface
Combination organizers that hold pens, have a pocket for files or paper as well as a small dry erase board
Wall reference system that holds open booklets or other reference material at the place of your choosing on your partition wall
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Cubicle Lighting Suggestions
Like the majority of office workers, you probably work under fluorescent lighting. You may be able to replace the tubes yourself with healthier full-spectrum ones (also called "grow lights") from the hardware store. If you can't replace them, bring in some supplemental incandescent light in the form of floor or table lamps. Working solely with overhead light is uncomfortable for the eyes, and supplemental lighting is a source of relief for your eyes and mind.
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Feng Shui and Office Cubicle Organization
Office Depot Tip: Many people who have their office cubicles near a communal item such as a fax machine, printer, copier or water cooler become the accidental social networking area of the office. Because you may be closest to a place where people congregate or where people have to wait for something they may find it an opportunity to chat you up while you are working.
While a little bit of office socializing can be fun sometimes, if it’s constant, it can get annoying.
Here are a few tips for avoiding becoming the target of anyone who is near your office cubicle you to engage you in constant conversation:
Have your back to the offending area. Set up your office cubicle in such a way that you are facing away from the offending zone
Talk to your manager about ‘Do not disturb’ signs. In an office cubicles environment, it can be difficult to get work done when you feel like you don’t have a door you can close. Getting special signs for everyone’s cubicle or a flag that goes up when you don’t want disturbances because you are working on a special project can be very helpful in minimizing socializing when you want to remain focused
If you find you cannot avoid being the office social area and it’s really difficult to keep the conversations from happening around your cubicle, ask to be moved. Better that you are out of the way than unproductive or have to chance being rude to coworkers who don’t get the hint
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Home Office Decorating Considerations
The home office is becoming more of a necessity in nearly every home in the country. Not only are stay-at-home moms finding telecommuting jobs, but many Americans are starting home based businesses.
Most people don't have the extra space to spare for a home office, but the need for one is still there. Home offices can be created in a variety of spaces, from a guest bedroom to a large closet or a corner of your kitchen.
When creating a home office, it is important to keep in mind your specific needs, including storage, work space and, most importantly, proper lighting. Remember, your space not only needs to be functional, but it also needs to be aesthetically pleasing.
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Home Office Decorating Considerations
Office Depot Tip: Using office partition walls are a great way to create private spaces in an office that houses a lot of people. But making a computer cubicle farm can make the office drab and closed in feeling. In order to best utilize partitions without feeling close in, consider a few tips to help you make the most of office partition walls while keeping the atmosphere upbeat and not making your staff feel like they’re in a claustrophobic labyrinth.
Choose lighter colors for your office partition walls. Light pastels rather than dark heavy colors will lighten the mood and the atmosphere of the office.
Lighting helps. Decent lighting not only increases mood but also productivity. If you have windows, let natural light in. If you do not, create extra task lighting to keep the environment bright
Consider lower walls within team areas. If you use a combination of lower and higher office partition walls, you can help avoid a closed in feeling. For example, use higher walls around the perimeter of a department but lower walls in between to both give privacy as well as the ability for team members to communicate where necessary without having to leave their cubicle
Use moveable partitions that allow you to easily reconfigure spaces as necessary
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Designing an Effective Home Office
Here is a list of guidelines to help design an effective home office.
1. Identify the office equipment needed including computers, printers, fax machines, answering machines, telephones and copiers.
2. If you'll be meeting with clients in your home office, add a conference table or sitting area to the list.
3. Lay out your basic office design, taking into consideration the importance of lighting throughout.
4. Remember that when it becomes time to resell the home, the office can be presented as a guest bedroom to potential buyers. If you can, include a full bath in an adjacent location that can be used by clients.
5. If the office is on ground level, a separate client entry can be designed to provide privacy. Conversely, with a second floor location client interaction is deterred.
6. A perimeter location can help insulate the office from noise and also reduce the impact of any visual clutter from inside the home.
7. Adequate lighting is critically important in establishing a healthy if not serious work environment. If using fluorescent fixtures, opt for parabolic grilles to reduce glare.
8. Provide a separate circuit with 15 to 20 amps of service. A separate ground is another precaution that will isolate your office equipment from home appliances.
9. Install adequate telephone and data lines. Include cable into the office area as it might one day serve as your primary conduit to the internet.
10. Design large workspace surfaces and adjacent areas to allow for maximum flexibility and comfort.
11. Allow for ample file storage space. Typically, a four drawer file cabinet per person per year is adequate.
12. Fireproof filing cabinets for storing your important business documents.
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Hanging Files on Partition Walls
Before you become the victim of falling file syndrome, do some research to find a hanging file system that is sturdy enough to hold up to 10 pounds of paperwork, and ensure that your office partition walls are stable enough to support the file system. All it takes is a call to the office facilities staff or a browse through a recent office supplies catelog to find the right hanging file holder for your cubicle.
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Finding Quality Office Products
It doesn't take a treasure map to find quality office products, but does take a proactive consumer to step up and ask the right questions. Here are a few steps to ensure that you get safe and reliable office products:
Check brand names before shopping.
Look for warranties on all packaging
Talk to friends and co-workers
Go on line and do some research
If you still can't decide which office products are the best quality for your money, ask a sales associate.
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Organization with Cubicle Accessories
In today's competitive market, nobody can afford to waste time and effort at work. We're all looking for ways to be more efficient and effective, decrease stress, streamline a process or just make life easier.
Organization is a smart way to accomplish all of that and more. Look around your workspace. Do you feel and look like you're in control? If not, it's time to start getting it together. Cubicle accessories help eliminate clutter and assist with providing easy access to important documents and supplies. In a way, your cubicle's organization is a reflection of your ability to work efficiently. Give some thought to accessorizing your cubicle today.
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Choosing the Right Modular Office Furniture
Systems furniture is available in two main designs: panel-mounted and freestanding. Most systems furniture today is panel-mounted, which means the wall panels are the basis of the system, and components such as desks and file cabinets are mounted directly onto the panels. Freestanding components use separate panels that are placed around furniture. Each design has its advantages:
Panel-based systems offer greater design flexibility, can be equipped with internal power options, and can be a bit taller to provide greater privacy and noise reduction.
Freestanding systems can be easily installed and reconfigured. This makes them more convenient for firms that will often rearrange or move office space.
The decision in which type to choose lays in which feature is more important: flexibility or mobility.
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How to Theme Office Cubicles
Most office supply manufacturers design their products in bulk, in hopes that you will be inclined to purchase an entire collection of cubicle supplies. The trick to theming an office cubicle is to actually purchase a collection when the collection is prepackaged as a set, so that each piece is not sold separately. Typical collections will range in cost from $40 to upwards of $100. Choose from standard black to executive-style oak appearances. These themed sets may include inboxes, pen and pencil holders, mousepads, book stands, and picture frames. Do some research to find a collection that complements your ideal office cubicle theme.
